Sues and Swords
by Poem and Prose
Summary: A first try, something that began while waiting for a lesson... A grammatical Sue and an ungrammatical non-Sue, who do *not* join the Fellowship. Read! Review! Use good grammar... please? Our last chapter. So it's short... we have other... maniacal plans.
1. Of beginnings and discoveries

SUES AND SWORDS

Disclaimer: (dmraist) Tolkien. Blame him. The mayhem within is of our creation, yet the cast is (mostly) his. However, if you try to steal Karine or Amelan... we will hurt you. We will hunt you down and skin you alive and put your heads on our wall as trophies. (not really, the school/parents would kill us.) But alas, I deviate...

1. Of Beginnings and Discoveries

It all started as a search for pizza.

Well. Pretty much, anyways. You always heard about explorers and knights who had gone on a quest, a holy and noble rite or something else of the sort. In Karine's case...

Basically, what had happened was she'd ordered a pizza. Nothing complicated, correct? But the pizza hadn't come, and upset at the possibility of failing to eat yet again for possibly the third evening in a row, Karine had become upset. And she'd started to say an Elvish chant... and the rest, as they say, is history.

~~~

Thrust, parry, skip side, thrust, fake, thrust. "Ha! I finally got you! Admit I am the master of all things sharp and pointy!" *unintelligible grumble* "Good boy. Now take a break and start again."

Amelan lounged against a fence in her practice yard. She and her friends had taken up the lost art of swordplay, and despite her slightly dumpy figure and glasses, she was the best.

She stood and began an intricate pattern, all the while mumbling in Elvish. Besides being an expert swordswoman and master of all things sharp and pointy, she was an avid writer on FanFiction. She aspired to someday join the PPC (Protectors of the Plot Continuum), once her grammar skills were perfected, or as close as she could come.

Her recently defeated friend walked back to the ring to watch Amelan whirl more and more rapidly. Suddenly, with a small pop, she was gone. He fainted.

~~~

Well, I suppose you could say Karine had been calling on Elbereth Gilthoniel for aid... And I suppose you could say that the entire fiasco had indeed been her fault... But how did that all add up to her deserving the current situation? As in upside down, hung by her knees from a support beam in a cave with water dripping onto her nose?

"Hello? Is anyone within hearing distance? Uh... help? Do you think you could try to get me down? This hurts..." Echoes rebounded off the walls, chasing each other down the passages. "Urk. Yuck. Can anyone hear me? I want to get out of here... out! Out, out, out! This is so undignified..." She trailed off. A few more minutes of silence save the dripping water, and she had another idea.

"Maybe I can try to sit up and see why I'm stuck..." Karine's entire body ached magnificently, and her back especially didn't bear thinking about, but she gradually curled up enough to hook her bound wrists on the beam. 

"Owwww!" She stopped and took a breather, but the position was too uncomfortable to hold. "OK, back to work." Stretching upwards again, she heard an ominous creaking and looked to the end of the beam. "Oh, shoot..."

The reason the beam was creaking was because it was broken, splintered at the top. While Karine had been hanging motionless, the beam had settled into a balance that just barely supported her weight. Now that she was moving... 

"It's going to fall any second!" She realized she was panicking, knew from survival skills courses that that was bad, and completely, utterly, without any other thoughts, gave up on caring. "Heeeeeeeeeelp!" she cried out as the beam teetered on the edge of balance and fell with a resounding "thwock" that reverberated down the passages.

~~~

'Okay, I'm definitely daydreaming here! But it's so weird...!' Amelan found herself dreaming that a load of thundering orcs had surrounded her and that she had to use her battle patterns to escape. She twirled, hacked and parried, finally being rewarded with a path of escape, which she used to run and hide herself. Once clear, she looked down at her shirt and tsked at the bloodstains. _'Bloodstains?'_ "Oh crap..."

She looked up. Okay. She looked to the sides. Okay, except for the streaming hordes of foes. She looked down. Bad idea. She scrambled back from the ledge she had been standing on and went to get her mental bearings, which had been dropped somewhere along the way.

"I _must_ be daydreaming. I mean, it's NOT possible for me to have fallen into Middle Earth. Although Moria is rather--"

"Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" The sound rang off the walls, followed by a tremendous crash. Then silence--besides the sounds of orcs' and goblins' thudding feet. They, too, had heard the sounds and had momentarily lost their focus, turning in that direction, before the leaders once more shouted orders and regained control.

"Great. I get dropped into a daydream that I don't even want to have, and now I have to save someone. Isn't this JUST PEACHY?!" Despite her grumblings, Amelan followed the echoes to a recessed side-chamber, which just so happened to have fallen in.

~~~

"Owwwwwwwww!" Karine blinked fruitlessly to clear her watering eyes, the dust from the fallen beam filling the cave. "Owww, my head hurts!"

"Given that you seem to have fallen on it, it should. And please shut up." Amelan busied herself untying the cords that were wrapped around the broken support beam. "Why are you tied to a beam in Moria anyways?"

"Wh--MORIA!?!? What in all heavens is going on? Look, how do you know I'm--we're--whatever--in Moria anyways? And how come **you** know so much about it? And what in the Abyss am I going to do now?" The last came out as a moan. Amelan decided she was near panic and hurried to introduce herself.

"I'm Amelan Sena--Lan, really, but whatever."

"I'm--well, I think I'm still her, but everything is so weird that I don't know anything anymore. Karine Erisil. I think."

"Good name for an elf."

"An--OK, I've put up with your crazy ideas so far, simply because they're possible, but I'm not an elf! I should know! I'm so fully human that every morning I wake up and curse my race! And you shouldn't make fun of me just because *you* have pointy ears, _elf!_"

"WHAT?!" Lan nearly dropped the load of rubble she was carrying. "I AM NOT AN ELF! _YOU_ ARE, BUT _ME_? You need your pretty elven eyes checked!"

Karine closed her eyes. "You're insisting I'm an elf. I say you're an elf. Alright. Either we're both seeing things or we badly need mirrors. How about if... we both pretend we're elves to humor one another until we can really find out?"

"Fine. Now let's get going before this collapses again." Lan helped Karine to her feet and they limp-walked down the shadowy halls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authoresses' Notes:

(Elerian) I think that for a first try this is gonna turn out okay. If my co-author doesn't DRIVE ME INSANE

(dmr) hey, u're already insane. I don't need to drive u, u can walk across the border. 


	2. Of comatose canon killers and runins wit...

SUES AND SWORDS

Disclaimer: (elerian) ::speculatively:: I could *say* I own Lord of the Rings... but I would be lying, and I would also get myself killed by rabid fangirls.

2. Of Comatose Canon-Killers and Run-ins with Elves

Never-ending dark, twisting passages lasting forever, the steady constant drip of what was presumably water. Footfall, footfall, steps echoing in the cavernous emptiness surrounding them. How long? But time was no longer real, becoming an immaterial, fictitious theory. And where? But was there ever anything else besides this to give 'where' a meaning; was there a life before this endless maze?

Different. Sounds... not the same as before...? There was a before. Yes. And these were the sounds of feet not theirs--for Lan, alert as ever, had already stopped and moved to the side. Karine found herself acquiescing, unaware of any choice she might have. She heard a harsh whisper... Lan... Amelan Sena, a fierce look in her eyes--but worry there, too. Why does she worry? She shouldn't worry. Nothing was wrong... nothing... nothing at all...

~~~

Amelan knew very little about medicine, but she could tell that Karine was in shock. And rightly so, for she had been dropped on her head, after all. But when Lan began to hear footsteps, she panicked. Orcs were the least helpful thing she could have around at the moment. As she looked out of the small fissure she had tucked them into, she heaved a sigh of relief. 'It's just the fellowship. THE FELLOWSHIP!?! If we're behind them, the bridge will crack before we can cross!'

Lan watched as the fellowship passed. 'One... two... three, four... five... six, seven, eight... Come on, nine, come on... no nine! Which can only mean...' She grabbed Karine's arm and pulled her along in the path of the fellowship.

Going was hard, as Lan was trying to support Karine, watch the fellowship, and be sure they weren't being followed by those who would be... less than helpful. Eventually, she managed to limp with Karine out of the doors. She watched as the fellowship began to diminish, then gently shook Karine, attempting to wake her from her reverie.

"C'mon, Karine," Lan muttered, "snap out of it. We're safe now, pretty much, but if you want to sleep and feel better then you have to start walking independently."

Karine mumbled something unintelligible ending in a moan--Lan thought she'd been saying "Kim now," but what sense would that make? Not that being sensible was at the top of Karine's list of worries at the moment, but... Lan pulled her mind away from the distracting train of thought. "Karine, you need to help me on this. Wake up! Please, Karine, wake up!" She shook her limp companion slightly harder, heaving a relieved sigh when her eyes squinted shut before gradually opening.

"In this... not real... good fanfiction..." Karine trailed off.

"What?"

Karine's eyes focused, and she sat up. "Oh..." she said. "I was just thinking that no good author would do this to characters in a fanfiction."

"You wrote, or read, or... you used fanfic? Who were you?"

"I write." Karine's eyes began to lose their focus, and Lan feared she was going to go back into shock. "Aragorn's wife."

"What? I don't... oh God! I know that penname! You were the Sue among Sues! The ones in denial hated you and called you a ditzy sue, and the other sues worshipped your fingers and the madness they typed! There were entire stories devoted to your slow and painful death. What did I do to deserve this?"

Karine's face wore a perplexedly sleepy expression. She yawned absently. "What?"

"You took this universe, turned it upside down, dumped its contents on the floor, and put them back together all wrong. If you so much as come near anyone both important and canonical, I will gravely injure you. Sues with no fingers cannot type. Now, come on, I don't want you to pass out here. You can go unconscious a bit further on. As much as I despise your stories, I absolutely refuse to be responsible for your murder--for now."

As Lan finished, Karine's eyes widened in shocked surprise. "I--you want to--what--but *why*?"

Lan glared at her companion. "I really don't feel like explaining right now, but if we manage to travel a decent distance before sundown, I'll think about it. Now, get up, and let's get moving."

Karine dazedly staggered to her feet, swaying slightly. Lan breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly, Karine shuddered, so startling Lan that for a moment she couldn't move. She watched, horrified, as Karine's figure slowly crumpled, strength failing so rapidly Lan could nearly see it leaking out of her. Hearing Karine's harsh, rapid breathing, she spurred her body into action, kneeling beside her twitching form. And Karine had slipped back into unconsciousness, leaving Lan stranded. She desperately cast about for possible solutions... even in an Elven body, she would still be too heavy to carry, and she had no other options!

Slowly, Lan bent to lift the other's body, propping her shoulder up first, and then leaning to encircle her waist. She had lifted Karine to a standing position when, to her astonishment, Karine's feet began to move of their own volition--stepping forwards, propelling them on. Lan, shocked, moved into step beside her, supporting the sleepwalking elf easily. Gradually they fell into a weird rhythm and they moved onward, ever onward....

~~~

It was almost dark and far down the Celebrant that Karine's steady steps began to slow, and finally stopped. Lan wearily supported her to the shade of a tree, sinking down against the rough bark. She sighed, tipping her head back against the trunk to look up at the strange stars, all differently arrayed than those on the world she called home. Lan was suddenly sorrowful, lonely for someone to talk to. She began to reminisce about her friends. Had they all freaked out by now, or were they just beginning to realize that she was not coming back for a while? She could hear her friends' voices and their individual reactions. 'Emmagin would pretend she didn't care, but would be panicking in her head. Cryss would have... no, no, I'm not going to think about it. I refuse to start impersonating my various friends and crying. It won't get me any closer to home.' But the one thing that could not be resisted with sword or willpower was her own heart, and the crystalline drops that spilled down her cheeks until she slept. 

~~~

She woke with a start, sitting up as she noticed that the sun was halfway to noon. "Crap! Karine, wake up!" She stood and shook the comatose canon-killer. "We need to leave NOW!" Karine stirred, blinked, closed her eyes against the sun, and held out her arms for assistance in rising to her feet. Lan helped her, and they walked off together.

As they walked, Karine began to go back to sleep in fits, waking as she stumbled. Soon, however, the loud rumbles of her stomach made sleep impossible. She had been hungry at home, and after a few days, it wasn't any better. She was just beginning to contemplate what grass would taste like when a miracle occurred--Lan sighted Lothlórien.

"Look, Karine! Lórien! Food, shelter, rest; everything we could hope for under one canopy. Just keep going. We'll get there soon!" She tried to sound enthusiastic, but the fatigue in her voice leached it all away. Knowing this, she opted just to plod on, with the hope that in hours or days, they would be safe. And the hope that the power that lived there could get her home.

~~~

"Lan? Lan, what was that? I thought I... heard... saw..." Karine drifted back into semi-consciousness. Lan sighed, shaking her head solemnly. So the glimpses of movement and the quiet rustling had not been her imagination. Only elves or rangers were as stealthy, and rangers were not often near Lórien. Elves, then--but why would they reveal themselves to her? She wasn't nearly as adept at tracking as they were at eluding trackers--Lan wasn't prone to deceiving herself about the magnitude of her skills (unlike some others she might mention). Probably unlike Karine the comatose canon-killer... But all this speculation got her no closer to the reason that skilled wood elves would allow themselves to be seen by an intruder on their land. Well, one who was soon to be, anyway, she amended; 'At least, I hope we'll reach the Golden Wood soon...'

The trees began appearing more and more frequently, as the flashes began to grow less. She marveled at the beauty of the trees, and began to walk with her head tilted upwards rather than looking around. Which was how she managed to walk straight into an elf.

~~~

A sudden jolt shook Karine sharply into wakefulness. She groggily lifted her head, opening her eyes to a pair of shockingly bright points, which she eventually realized were eyes. Blue eyes, actually, and very pretty, too. But violent-looking, somehow--Karine wondered why. With a sharp intake of breath, the being--elf from the ears--began to speak, slowly, in Westron.

"My name is Celerion. I have been assigned especially to search for a pair of unescorted alien elven ladies... However, Our Lady failed to mention that one of these would be of failing health, and the other of extreme exhaustion. We stall have to detain you." He raised a hand to forestall Lan's shocked protestations. "Detain is perhaps too harsh a term to use in this instance--we do not intend to harm you, and will care for you, but you must remain in relative confinement until the Lady Galadriel has...met with you as she wished, if you are indeed the ones she seeks, or until she has given notice that you are to be released."

"Celerion!" Another melodious elven voice rang through Lórien. Karine's sore eyes picked out the figure of an elf moving swiftly towards the trio. He arrived at last, bow and quiver secured against his back. "I see you have located our guests."

"Yes, Rúmil—their physical condition leads be to believe that we shall require more aid from others on this outpost." Karine, in her initial surprise at Rúmil's rapid arrival, had failed to notice that Celerion had switched to Sindarin; she somehow understood the Elvish equally well. "How shall we make our way over the Celebrant?" he continued.

"Were we to enlist another's help, we might each carry one across the ropes," suggested Rúmil. "I would suggest he cross over first and secure the ropes; aside from that, we might make the rest of the journey on our own."

"We would require another to take back the ropes in any case. Would you like to locate someone, or shall I?"

"I'm the swifter runner; I intend to fetch Taurefëa. He, too, is swift, and we will return shortly."

"All speed, then; I will inform these two of our plans." Rúmil seemed to vanish as he ran off, and Celerion turned to us. Now Lan held up her hand to forestall him.

"If the same is true of my friend, there is no need--we understand ever word you say." Lan's voice was tentative, as if she, too, had difficulty believing her near-miraculous ability. Karine had known a bit of Sindarin and a few words in Quenya, but how reliable can the Internet be? She pondered her new language as she slipped once more into dreams.

"...out into her dreamworld again," Lan murmured, automatically supporting Karine's sagging body. She gently touched her companion's forehead, noting the sheen of sweat and the increased heat radiating from her body. "The fever is worse."

Celerion did not appear to have heard. "How is it you speak our tongue, and with such grace as if you were born to it?" This aspect of the pair fascinated him. "Few there are who can master the written forms, fewer still who can pronounce the delicate words of our language, especially without instruction."

"I don't know! I don't even know how I got here in the first place, my friend here is steadily growing weaker from fever and sickness, and you question how we communicate! I was at first grateful I could speak with an ally... and now I am not so sure how great a blessing this is. At the moment my first priority is seeing Karine alive and safely through... whatever it is she's suffering from. So would you *please* leave off with the questioning until we're ...I don't know, safe and sound, protected from any danger?!" Lan was fairly shocked at her own violent reaction to the elf's curiosity, so it was no wonder he recoiled so sharply from her tirade.

"My most sincere apologies, Lady...?" Celerion's voice, startled yet gentle, calmed Lan slightly--enough that she could bring herself to respond.

She drew in a breath; let it out again, slowly. "Amelan. Amelan Sena. And this is Karine... Erisil. As you may have inferred." She smiled wryly. "I should be the one to apologize for my outburst. It was a complete..." She searched for the word. "Overreaction. I... I'm tired from our stressful journey, having to bear Karine's weight for a while in addition to my own. I'm afraid it's been too much." She smiled again, this time revealing the strain of their journey in the tightness of her mouth and the dullness of her eyes. "I suppose... I suppose we'll be alright soon..."

Celerion helped her lean back against a broad tree trunk, lifting Karine from her tired arms. "Rúmil will return soon, and we can start moving again. That should help keep you awake, should it not? Ah--yes, he is coming... alone?" 

The last word was said in confusion, to himself, and Lan saw the first signs of worry in his eyes. Then Rúmil appeared, once again as if by magic, though this time Lan easily detected anger and worry in his face. "Trouble?" asked Celerion.

"Trouble! Yes. Orcs dare to set foot in our blessed woods, darkening the clear waters of Nimródel. How is it that the foul creatures are found in fair Lórien?" Anger tinged his voice dark and passionate.

"I could not say, Rúmil. With relevance to our mission, I presume none could be spared of the sentry force?"

"None (save those who were previously occupied) are absent, and all aid is needed. Celerion, we must return and aid our brothers!"

Celerion looked weary, weighing his options. "We cannot. What, then, of these two if we seek out the fight? Our course is clear. We must lead them to our Lady."

Rúmil bowed his head in a gesture of acknowledgment. "Again are you in the right. We cannot forsake our duty."

~~~

After further conversation, they decided that he (the swifter) was to run ahead and enlist the help of an elf stationed on the far bank to set up the rope bridges. Celerion (the stronger) would then bear each of the two travelers across in turn, and Rúmil would return to the fight as he had wished. Rúmil took off, running in a manner that struck Amelan as distinctly gazelle-like. Lan and her companion set off after him at a decidedly slower pace, due to Celerion's burden and Lan's fatigue. Suddenly the world shifted to an angle not intended for flatlands, and Lan found herself looking up into the eyes of a rather startled Celerion. She realized that she had collapsed onto his shoulder, and jerked upright hastily, turning her head away though the memory of his deep blue eyes and handsome face framed by silver-gold hair remained with her.

She straightened her shirt and proceeded to walk beside him without assistance, although they both knew she was apt to collapse again at any moment. She ignored the questioning glance sent her way, continuing to weave through the trees, refusing to accept any suggestion that she might be unable to walk on her own. She did not see the smile on Celerion's face, nor the shake of his head at her ridiculous determination to walk on.

~~~

As they approached the rope bridge, Lan realized that there was no way she could cross on her own. Although her sense of balance was usually excellent, she knew better than to assume she could stay well-balanced enough to cross the rail-less bridge so fatigued.

"Stay here, and I will come back for you," Celerion whispered as he walked by, still carrying Karine's limp form. Lan merely nodded, an action that nearly caused her to fall over (and which, had she been more aware, she might have realized was likely meaningless to the elf anyway). She watched as Celerion crossed the bridge with ease, admiring the grace with which he walked.

When he returned and lifted her, her heart gave a slight lurch and she smiled, but the smile faded as she thought to herself, 'what am I doing? The exhaustion is really getting to me... I would NEVER act this daft if I weren't about to pass out. HONESTLY!' But still, she relished laying her head against him as he stepped off the bridge. As he set her down, a dizzy spell overtook her and she collapsed again. Though she protested feebly that she would be fine, and could walk perfectly well on her own, he would not hear of it.

"Rúmil, would you mind accompanying me back to our Lady carrying ...Karine? It appears that both our ladies will need to be carried." Lan might have resented the remark but for the fact that she was perfectly happy to be carried by *this* elf.

"I suppose if it is necessary, I can. Though I shall miss the chance to return to my post..."

"Good. Amelan here is slightly heavier, but if she recovers soon enough to walk, I will be glad to allow you to aid in the defense of our wood," said Celerion thankfully.

Rúmil bent and lifted Karine, whose head lolled idly from side to side. Her eyes fluttered, opening gradually, misty and unclear--'still clouded by dreams,' thought Lan. The warmth and comfort that Celerion's strong arms provided proved too much for her willpower to fight, and soon she drifted into dreams herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authoresses' notes:

(dmr) This is going to be interesting. I will be sure to derive much amusement from our initial stumblings, especially given that the average velocity of a projectile is entirely determined in using the equation...

(elerian) la-la-la-la-la. la-la-la-la-la. I can't hear you talking smart-person talk, la-la-la-la-la.

(dmr) ::sticks tongue out::

(elerian) ::radiating angelic innocence::

(dmr) ::-_-;:: Well... anyways... review! We actually need a bunch of Elvish names... two girls and a guy, at the moment...

(elerian) We do?

(dmr) Of course! One for the healer, one for the--murmph!

(elerian) Well, don't *tell* them!

(dmr) ::glare::

(elerian) Eh... guess it's time to leave now... ^.^; Review! Review! Review! Wheeeee!!!


	3. Of meetings and sightings

SUES AND SWORDS

Disclaimer: (dmraist)

There once were two girls with a pen,

Who had rabid 'magination within.

"His Greatness Tolkien is 

Owner of all this,"

They said as they wrote on again.

AN: For all who thought this an issue--Tragic Beauty especially--Rúmil is NOT speaking Westron. I realize that I wrote, "the elves switched to Sindarin" rather than "Celerion switched to Sindarin" and that this might be confusing; as a result, it now reads using 'Celerion'. Profuse apologies for any confusion this may have caused.

3. Of Meetings and Sightings

Lan woke with a start, wondering why she was in a large, white, fluffy bed. She remembered entering Lórien, and meeting that rather attractive elf, Celerion. She also remembered being carried, but not to her current location. "I must have passed out from fatigue yesterday," she mumbled. "Not surprising, as I've been supporting the weight of two elves for a few days now."

"Actually, it was two days ago that you entered our wood, and you have been asleep most of that." Lan jumped, and compulsively yanked her covers up to her neck. The things she normally wore to sleep, although comfortable, were not things she would have wanted anyone to see, especially Celerion, and she doubted her current outfit was much more fit after several days of traveling and sleeping in it.

Celerion laughed, and stood from the chair he had been in. "So the lady wants her privacy. I shall depart, and send a healer in to check your well-being and give you further instructions." Lan nodded and smiled weakly as he strode out of the room.

Lan rearranged herself, trying to look more awake and composed, when another elf walked briskly into the room and sat down beside her. She was dressed very simply in a pale green ankle-length gown with slightly flared sleeves ending about mid-forearm. Her clothing was decidedly Elven, but she soon proved to be rather unusual for an elf.

"I am Temeril. I am a healer, and I have been tending you as well as your companion for the past several days. How do you feel? Are you tired, or do you feel as if you have had a good rest?"

"Well, I suppose I feel rather refreshed. But..."

"And have you noticed any aches?"

"No. But..."

"Alright, good. It is perfectly fine for you to get up and walk around today, but if you begin to feel at all faint or tired, SIT DOWN. I assume you will wish to wash off the dust of travel. If you go through that door," she mentioned, pointing to a passage to the left of the bed, "you will find a warmed tub and some drying cloths. Most just bathe in the river, but since you are recovering, an exception has been made. There is also a change of garment, which the Lady Galadriel requested that you be given. Remember, if you become tired, REST!" With this, she turned to leave, but Lan snatched at her sleeve.

"Um... how long... um... did Celerion... uh, sit there by me?" Lan blushed and averted her eyes.

"Why, he remained there the entire time. What else would he have done?" She again turned, and exited just as briskly as she had entered.

Lan sighed, and started to get up to go to the bathing room to wash away the grime and fatigue from her person and her clothing. She knew there was an extra set, but a backup never hurt anyone. As she set her feet on the floor, she reached onto the artfully carved bedside table for her glasses, which, amazingly, had remained intact. She almost went apoplectic when she put them on and discovered that she no longer needed them. She left them on the table, planning to keep them for memory's sake. She left her sheathed sword and belt where she'd found it, carefully laid on a desk beside the passage leading to the bath.

'Now to actually wash for the first time in days,' she thought with relish as she picked up her boots and walked down the corridor. 'At last!'

~~~

Some time later, Lan found herself staring, a bit disbelievingly, at the clean clothing left for her. It was lovely enough, she was sure, shivering inside the large towel-like cloth wrapped around her. Just... gowns were not very much Lan's ideal clothing. Sighing, she dressed herself, feeling awkward in the flowing material.

At home, she had always dressed in a very elvish manner, but simple outfits only--plain leggings beneath a long tunic, much like the practice outfit she'd brought to Middle-Earth. This unfortunate set of clothing (padded tunic, long leggings, boots, and thick socks) were so travel-stained that Lan nearly despaired of ever returning them to a usable condition. Not quite, however--she soaked the clothes thoroughly, scrubbing enough dust from her tunic and leggings that they returned to their normal forest green. Her socks, as grimily sweat-stained as they were, were a hopeless cause, but her boots hadn't suffered nearly as badly as the rest of her clothing. Unsure of exactly how to clean them, she cleaned their outsides and simply put them back on, discovering that the inside (at least) had been cleaned for her. Smiling at the enjoyable surprise, she returned her wet clothes to her room and set off to look for Karine.

~~~

Lan eventually got directions from a young elf, whose bright green eyes inspected Lan thoroughly. The girl's golden orange hair swirled about her as she changed direction, leading Lan to Karine's room. "She's in there, and I hear she's still unconscious, but I think you can visit her if you like."

"Thank you," Lan replied, and brushed aside the split curtain over the doorway. She stopped mid-stride when confronted by the back of a familiar and apparently irritated figure.

"I will NOT have anyone disturbing my patient! She's still out, though she's coming around. Does that satisfy your curiosity? Now get out until she's rested; no visitors for the next two days." The healer hadn't looked up during her tirade, but did so now, aware that the visitor had made no move for the door. "Oh. It's you. I assume you're clean, then?"

"Yes, but--"

"That's good. Hmm. You're fidgeting. That gown is a bit small, isn't it? Well, I'll have to mention it to Lady Galadriel when next I see her. I need to get some poultices and herbs, so you can stay with your friend--Karine, I presume?--until I get back. If she starts tossing and turning make sure she doesn't fall off the bed, but other than that, leave her alone. Is that perfectly clear?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Temeril shrugged. "I needed someone to watch her while I was gone, in any case. Oh, and don't let anyone in. She needs to REST, which she cannot do without peace. I'll be back soon."

With that, she swept out past the hanging curtain, leaving Lan standing in the center of a not-so-large room.

Lan settled into the recently vacated chair next to the peaceful (although comatose) sleeper, pondering her first encounter with the elves of Lórien, and wondering 'why in the name of all that is holy did he stay by my bedside for TWO DAYS?!" Her thoughts were interrupted by loud growls from her stomach. 'Well, it has been... four days since I've eaten. When the healer comes back, I should ask her where I can get food.'

She sat back in her chair, prepared to wait several hours for Karine to wake up, but Temeril returned and shooed her away. "You'll only prove an obstacle in this tiny room, and you need rest more than you need to help."

"Um... I was wondering..." she started, but a loud growl from her stomach made her meaning clear.

Temeril laughed. "Hungry?" Lan nodded in affirmation. The healer gave directions to the nearest place to receive food aside from meals. "Now go! My patients can only heal when I can see them."

~~~

Lan left the room and began wandering in what she thought was the right direction. She became so absorbed in gazing around what was rapidly becoming a large and impressive hall that she walked once again into Celerion.

"You seem to have developed a knack for bumping into me." Celerion turned to her and smiled, causing her blush to deepen. He laughed and called something over his shoulder at his companion, who was helping him carry a heavy beam. His companion grinned and snagged a passing elf, enlisting him to take Celerion's place. As the elves and their burden moved swiftly away, the elf at the rear leaned down and whispered something in Celerion's ear that made him flush slightly and protest. "No, no, nothing like that! Ai! He never listens to me." He sighed, cheeks darkening as he looked at Amelan. "Well, my good Lady Amelan, you have somehow wandered into an incomplete hall. If you will allow me to escort you to your destination?"

Lan nodded, realized he probably wouldn't understand the gesture, and replied, "Yes, I was just..." Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she winced and pressed a hand against it in embarrassment.

"I see." Celerion was amused. "You realize that you were going in precisely the opposite direction?"

"Uh... no, I didn't really; well, I mean I knew I wasn't going the right way, but I had no idea where I really was, and, um..." She trailed off as he laid a hand on her arm. The effect of his touch was to freeze her in place, and she stared up at him like a bewildered animal. Realizing abruptly that they resembled nothing so much as a pair of star-crossed lovers finally united, Lan tried to pull away, but Celerion's grip was stronger than she expected. He seemed to be deep in thought as his bright blue eyes held her own green gaze. 

With a start, he came to and released her arm. "I'm... sorry. Shall we proceed?" He offered his arm to her, a formality that she thought might be related to the rosy pink that now tinged his cheeks, and how he kept his eyes focused straight ahead.

They made an interesting pair, between Lan's pure white gown with its delicately embroidered leaves and flowers in glowing colors, and Celerion's rough working outfit--rugged medium green tunic, beaten leather belt, and dark green leggings. Both had well-worn sturdy leather boots, the only similarity between two beings so disparate. Celerion walked with grace befitting any noble while Lan's steps were uncertain and uneven, not light as Celerion's. His hair fell silver and silken to his shoulders, and hers to the middle of her back in a golden brown cascade. Though they both had the delicate features of the Eldar, Celerion's face was carefully arrayed to show no emotion, and Lan's face revealed confusion and uncertainty clearly. Finally it was Celerion's voice that broke their long and embarrassed silence.

"May I ask... Lady Amelan, may I ask the meaning of your name?"

Amelan was taken aback by the unexpected question. "The meaning of my name?" she asked, her consternation clear in her face. "I... well, I don't know. So far as I know, it doesn't have one."

It was Celerion's turn to be shocked--so shocked, in fact, that the stopped sharply to look at her in incredulity. "No meaning?" he responded. "I find it difficult to believe."

"Why?" she confronted him. "The name 'Amelan' might be a bit strange, but I think it a nice name, and not nearly so odd as some thing I have heard."

"I... do not mean it as an insult to your parents or to you, but in my society, to willingly take and use a name without meaning, without significance, is unheard of." Her words had shaken him from his stunned astonishment, and they had once again begun to walk. 

"True, but my society is far different from yours. We choose names that reflect our personality and what we like, rather than what they mean, although many do have meaning. My name is rather strange, at least where I come from. Most young women have names like Nikki, or Sara, or Lindsay, or Michelle. Very few people still remember the meaning of those names." She resented the thought that her name had no significance.

"How is 'Amelan' unusual in comparison to those? I have never heard such strange names in my lifetime! They are composed with none of the flowing grace of a name like..." he trailed off. Amelan had a suspicion that he was about to say her name, but made no comment.

"A name like whose?"

"Lady Galadriel's name is certainly beautiful." Lan grimaced at such an answer, its only purpose obviously being to cover up his mistake.

"If every name has meaning, what does yours mean? I certainly am not familiar with the term."

"Well, um... in actuality, it isn't really... oh, look! Here we are!"

He had chosen a rather convenient time to reach their destination. It would be difficult for her to pester him while shoveling food into her mouth, which at this point she was prepared to do whether it was socially acceptable or not. But it would be nice to have conversation over lunch...

"I am sorry, but I will be unable to keep you company. I must return to my work in the other hall. If you need help, anyone would be delighted to assist you." He turned and walked away, leaving Lan confused, hurt, and curious, but she put those thoughts aside until she could finish eating.

~~~

Looking down at her empty plate, Lan tried to recall the last thing she had eaten before that, suspecting as the culprit a brown sugar-cinnamon pop tart. That would certainly explain how she had cleared several plates so quickly--the food was heavenly, especially when compared to her least favorite flavor of uncooked instant breakfast.

As she stood and prepared to leave, she noticed movement by the entrance. A small group of men and (what appeared from this distance to be) four children and a dwarf had entered the hall. The fellowship had arrived! Lan stared, but realizing that she must look rather daft standing about with her mouth wide open, she hurried out of the hall. Although she admired the fellowship, she had no desire to let anything slip which might jeopardize herself, her companion, or the quest to destroy the ring. She made a mental note to make sure Karine knew not to interfere, Sue that she was. She was so absorbed in her thoughts of the horror "Aragorn's Wife" might wreak if introduced to the Fellowship that, by the time she saw the elf hurtling her direction, it was too late to move aside.

As Legolas ran into her, Lan felt the slight dizziness Temeril had warned of. Throughout his apology she felt fainter and fainter, and Aragorn must have noticed that something was wrong as he guided her to a chair to sit down. "Legolas, you should not have been so distracted and excited at meeting old friends that you ran into this young lady," he admonished in Sindarin (keeping their words private should any of the Fellowship overhear).

Legolas bowed his head, properly rebuked. "Again my deepest apologies in upsetting your balance, Lady," he apologized. "Please allow me to compensate for this damage I have wrought in my unadvised haste--if there is any manner in which I can aid you, please speak of it to me."

He sounded so distressed by what he had done, as any elf of high breeding, that Lan searched for a simple way for him to 'redeem' himself. "Well, yes, indeed, you might escort me to my room, as I ...am a guest here and am not yet familiar with my surroundings. If you will accompany as far as the north wing--_formen_--I can find my way past that on my own."

Legolas jumped at the chance. "I would be grateful if you would allow me the honor, milady. I do not know how many of my companions would be willing to join me--" here he glanced at Aragorn, "--but as for myself, I am familiar with the halls of Cerin Amroth, the lovely Naith of Lórien. I would be delighted to serve as your escort for a time."

"If you would have me, Lady, I, too, would accompany you," Aragorn said, in flawless Sindarin. "I will put aside my hunger for a time."

Lan searched her tired mind for a properly formal response. "I accept both your offers of escort and offer my gratitude for this service. May I ask who it is that conducts me?" Of course, Lan already knew them, but did not want to slip and mention their names without having been told who they were.

"I am Legolas, and my companion is Aragorn."

"A prince of Mirkwood and a king of Númenor. Strange people walk the world in these times." Amelan mentally whacked herself over the head. She would never have revealed such knowledge were she better rested! Even now she paid the price for having spoken--the pair had become suddenly very wary of her.

"You... know much of us, Lady, or so it would appear," said Aragorn, voice ever so slightly cold and forbidding. 

"Perhaps you would deign to speak of yourself... and how it is you come by such knowledge."

"I am a traveler, a bard." Lan's voice barely shook, despite the pressure of the situation. "My name is Amelan, a family name whose meaning has been obscured by the ages. I... I passed through Mirkwood on my travels, and once a time ago through Rivendell. There I recall one whom Lord Elrond looked upon as his own son, called Estel--Hope. Only later did I learn of his true lineage, as the grandson of Arador and son of Arathorn."

Aragorn's expression barely relaxed as she related her entirely improvised fabrication. 'Bless Tolkien for his appendices,' she thought to herself, anxious for a reaction from either of the stone-faced warriors. She felt as if she were shrinking beneath their combined gazes: one stormy grey and the other the brown of oak. Finally Aragorn turned to the elf and drew him aside to speak privately. Lan began to feel gradually fainter with worry until she was so light-headed she feared she would collapse from full-blown vertigo. 'When Legolas bumped into me, I must have hit my head against the wall,' she though vaguely to herself. As she collapsed, her thought was 'Oh, no! Now I'm starting to act like Karine!'

~~~

Next she knew, a pair of elven arms was bearing her weight. Again. She looked up, expecting to see Celerion's fine-boned face, bright blue eyes, and silvery hair, but instead saw Legolas's broader face, rich brown eyes, and golden hair. 'Oh. Legolas caught me when I fell.' She shut her eyes against another wave of dizziness, but not before catching sight of Aragorn striding warily beside the elf. 'So he came along, too. Terribly decent of him.' With her eyes closed, she lost track of the distance they traveled before Legolas stopped abruptly.

"Amelan! Lady Amelan! What's wrong with her?" Celerion's face, normally as smooth and flawless as any sculptor could hope to make his masterpiece, had become creased with worry. Lan, after fighting to clear her vision long enough to see him, had to close her eyes because the light hurt them. She could not understand what the voices around her said, but she could tell they were alternately tense, worried, and subdued. Why? She felt herself shift, and thinking that she was falling, held out an arm to stop herself. Someone took her hand and drew her arm back, and she was placed into a new set of arms. After more voices, they turned and moved on.

~~~

Eventually, Lan felt herself placed on a bed, and her boots were removed before she was shifted into a more comfortable position and a blanket placed over her. She opened her eyes slightly and found herself staring into Celerion's bright blue eyes. "Wha... why...?"

"Hush, rest." Celerion smiled at her, brushed a tendril of hair away from her face, blushed, and was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authoresses' notes:

(dmr) I think that Kaylana and Galadhwen will be amused if I mention that yes, I have made a map for Cerin Amroth and yes, I have drawn out (in some detail) their rooms. Or maybe you'll just say u_u;; and continue with your lives ^^ Pairings... whee! (btw, narwen, next ch is the entrance of a 'rogue' character. You find them everywhere ^^;)

(elerian) Well wasn't that a happy chapter? We could make another happy chapter if we get reviews! I wrote an ode to melba toast this morning, yep I did! Wheeeeeeeeee!!


	4. Of wakings and wanderings

SUES AND SWORDS  
  
Disclaimer: (elerian) I own nothing. Nothing. Especially not Lord of the Rings. Well, except maybe Karine, and Amelan, and... yeah. Anyway, I don't own the stuff that isn't mine.  
  
AN: Bunnies! Green polar bunnies!  


  
4. Of Wakings and Wanderings  


  
Karine opened her eyes to a room that was small and crowded but pleasant. The walls were a glistening golden-white, and the tapestry over the doorway was pure white with gold-embroidered edges, and a part in the center as the opening. The person in front of the tapestry with her head outside the doorway sounded irritated and as if she was about to lose her patience. The person's raven-black hair swished, tumbling down her back, as she tossed her head angrily. As she adjusted her white-booted feet to a more comfortable position, the simple blue gown she wore swirled around her legs and settled itself softly about her body.  
  
"Yes, young one, she will wake soon, but as I have said before, she is not to be disturbed. No, you may not come in to see her! She is no sculpture to be examined and criticized, nor an artifact to be disassembled and studied. Perhaps you will meet her when she is healed and no longer ill. Lairindil, go attend your duties-you have none? I can set you some, in that case-no? Then be off and leave us in peace. Go!" With that, she released a heavy tapestry set above the door to cover the center split so as to ensure greater privacy. Then she turned to Karine.  
  
"Ah, you're up. Tell me, are you still tired at all, or do you feel the least bit sleepy?"  
  
Karine was slightly confused at the unexpected question. "Well-no-not really, but sort of-"  
  
The woman frowned at Karine and said, "Answer the question! There aren't many options-either 'yes', 'no', or somewhere in between-not all at once! Well?"  
  
"Just-uh-somewhat sleepy, I think it's because I just woke up..." She was startled at the woman's flatly blunt manner and tried to give her the type of answer she was looking for.  
  
Apparently this was satisfactory, for she nodded and introduced herself. Brushing back black strands from her face, she revealed pointed ears as she spoke. "My name is Temeril, and I am a healer. I've been caring for you for three days now, and apparently you have been unconscious for most of five. I have been given little and jumbled information by your companion, who-"  
  
"Lan? Lan's here, too, wherever here is? Oh, that's good, then. Will I be able to see her soon? Where am I? How did I get here? Did it take a long time?" Karine's barrage of questions hit the unsuspecting healer almost as forcefully as blows.  
  
"She's asleep at the moment, but in the time it takes you to get cleaned up and eat, she may wake up, despite the concoction I gave her. She must rest! I fail to understand how my patients are going to heal when they cannot rest!"  
  
"Um..."  
  
"Oh, yes, the bath is out that door, to the left, then take another left at the end of the hall, a left at the end of that hall, then a left at the end of that hall and follow the passage back to a little bath. After that, you may go eat. I put directions in with your change of clothes so we don't have a fiasco like last time."  
  
"What happened last time?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing. Now stop pestering me; I have plenty of work without you interrogating me." Although her words were harsh, the healer smiled as she exited the room. Karine shook her head, amazed by the woman's brisk manners. Then she got up and wandered into the hall, trying to figure out exactly where she was going.  
  
Eventually, Karine found the bathing room that had Temeril had spoken of. She reveled in the steam and how nice it felt to be washed clean of all the grime and dust of several days. When she finished, she wrapped herself in a large towel and went to look at the clothes left for her. As she slipped the pale silver-grey dress over her head, she sighed in delight. The dress was everything she could have wished for-perfectly fitted, flowing, and flattering of her hair and features with its color. She picked up the slip of paper with directions on it and started to pick up her other clothing. Her pants were so dusty that their original color was a mystery, her shirt was only slightly less dirt-encrusted. Unsure of what to do with them, she left them on the chair where her dress had previously lain. 'Someone will get them, I suppose. Oh, this is LOVELY!" She flounced into the hall and made her way towards... wherever she was going.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Karine looked at the sheet with directions, at the hall, at the sheet, and at the hall again. "Every hall here looks like the other! I can't remember if I've taken one left or two," she mumbled to herself. "Oh, well, I can just take another one!" With that, she turned left down another white hallway.  
  
Although her judgment had seemed right at the time, Karine was beginning to wonder if she was in the right place. This hall was quieter and narrower than the other halls she had traveled down, and so much quieter that even her thoughts seemed to echo in an obnoxiously loud way. As she began to seriously contemplate turning back, she heard voices farther down the passage. Hastening her steps, she approached a bend in the corridor, the voices crescendoing every second.  
  
Karine stopped, frowning, sure she'd caught Lan's name. No, she hadn't- wait! There it was again, an utterance about "Lady Amelan". She squeezed herself into a tiny nook so as to listen to the conversation undetected.  
  
"...from what you've told me, she appears to be quite the warrior," said one voice, "your Lady Amelan. She sounds an interesting maid, indeed."  
  
"Interesting?" replied a second, chuckling. The voice sounded familiar to Karine, but she couldn't recall where she had heard it. "Yes. I suppose you could call her that. And... also more than she seems." There came a pause, and Karine could imagine the speaker thinking of Lan in all her ...uniqueness. "Did I ever tell you of her escapade with that oddly- assorted group which was so well-received by our Lord and Lady? The dwarf, four Halflings, two men, and the Mirkwood elf?"  
  
"No, I don't believe you did."  
  
"Well, the elf-Legolas son of Thranduil, if I remember correctly-bumped into her, and since she had been ill recently (or possibly she was just over-exhausted) she began to feel slightly faint. The usual apologies, admonishments, and offers of compensation ensued, and he and Aragorn son of Arathorn agreed to escort her back to her room to get some rest. She asked their names, and they gave them as Legolas and Aragorn, but then she severely startled them both by saying: 'A prince of Mirkwood and a king of Númenor. Strange people walk the world in these times.' Aragorn was first to question her, asking who she was and how she knew. She responded that her name was a family name; she was a bard, and had traveled far.  
  
They both scrutinized her for a time, with those cold stares so typical of the threatened-frightened her considerably, I'm sure," he added harshly, "and then drew apart to talk on their own. By this time she was getting more and more light-headed, and basically collapsed; however, the elf caught her before... before she was hurt." He sounded bitter.  
  
"Do I detect a note of jealousy in your voice, brother?"  
  
A derisive laugh. "Jealous? I doubt it. In any case, Legolas carried her part of the way back to her room-out of guilt, I suppose, for having caused her collapse. Aragorn came with him, and they had almost reached the North Wing when I happened upon them."  
  
Another pause, then the irritatingly familiar voice again, now embarrassed. "You know the rest of it, or you've heard the rest. My 'completely unjustified' worry, my initial ...aggravation when I saw him bearing her so tenderly, as if she were made of crystal..." The speaker's voice shook off its tender mantle and returned to practicality. "The one thing you won't have heard, my friend, is what Legolas revealed to me of their suspicions. They thought her a spy of the Enemy, thought I had been fooled by a fair face into allowing a minion of the Dark One into our most precious Wood. That she was dangerous, and should be imprisoned immediately, to torture or to death, to reveal what she knew of his evil plans. What could I say? That our Lady has had our every shift of guards on the watch for her and her companion? No, for this was strictly to be kept within Lórien, among those who already knew of the quest. I felt I had only one option, so I did something I should not have-I made them forget."  
  
"CELERION! What were you thinking? One is never meant to use that particular skill except in time of direst need!"  
  
Karine felt a vague recognition of the name, but the situation in which she had met its owner was still aggravatingly elusive.  
  
"And what was this, if not direst need? From the very moment I met her in the woods-from the moment she ran into me, I have felt the need to protect her. Protect her from those such as orcs, and at that time, from those who would, in their mistrust, imprison her. So I made them forget."  
  
Karine thought furiously, trying to remember woods and running into people... oh, of course! Blue eyes, when they had just entered the wood and ever-talented Lan had managed to jolt her awake as they ran into the elf. Being carried, by someone or another... the memories flooded back to her.  
  
The voices from the room stopped abruptly, and Karine belatedly realized that she'd let out a gasp in her surprise. Oops. She ducked out of her nook to hurry away before Celerion and his friend (or was it brother?) discovered she had been listening. She grinned, turning the information over in her mind. Legolas, Aragorn, and an admirer for Lan all in one breath! She set off to find food and, hopefully, the Fellowship.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lan opened her eyes slowly, the bright light of day causing spots and stars in her vision. When they finally cleared, Lan sat up cautiously. Seeing no one else in the room, she slumped down again. "Oh, my head feels like a dwarf mistook it for a mithril mine!"  
  
"A perfectly normal reaction to this particular potion of mine, I assure you. Drink this." Temeril swept into the room and handed Lan a tumbler of something murky. When Lan took a swig, she almost spat it out, but forced herself to swallow, pulling a face.  
  
"You wouldn't have to drink it had you taken it slowly yesterday, rather than running about and crashing into guests. I can only hope your companion does not follow your example."  
  
"Karine's awake?!" Lan sat bolt upright, all dwarven mines forgotten.  
  
"Yes, she woke a few hours ago..." Temeril tried to continue, but Lan had already dashed out of the room and gone in search of Karine.  
  
'Where would she be headed? I can only hope she doesn't wind up where she shouldn't,' Lan thought as she ran. "Oh, gods, the Fellowship! I pray she hasn't found them and doomed us all!"  
  
She actually managed to find her way to the hall where she'd eaten, but saw no sign of Karine or the Fellowship. She stubbed her toe against something, and realized she'd run off in such a hurry that she'd forgotten her boots. 'Oh, well, can't be helped now,' she thought, and set off again, determined to ask every person she came to until someone could tell her where to find her missing companion.  
  
A familiar young girl grinned at Kan when she asked. "Uh-huh, there was a lady I talked to who looks like that," she replied. "Asked about a bunch of males staying her for a while-Men, something called Halflings, even a Dwarf. She said there was also an Elf with them-oh, yes," she added, sounding mystified, "she went on that he was... cute, I think. That didn't make sense, so I told her that baby animals were cute, especially deer. They let me touch them if I'm really gentle. Anyway-she said something about how strange I was, so I said that she was the odd one, and why was she calling me strange? Then-"  
  
"Please, uh-what's your name?"  
  
"I'm Lairindil! That means summer lily. I was born in the summer, you see, and-"  
  
"Please, Lairindil, just tell me if you know where she is now." Lan was beginning to become exasperated with her overly talkative nature. 'Well, I couldn't have known-when she showed me to Karine's room she was fairly direct.'  
  
"Yes, come with me." Once redirected, Lairindil was fairly quiet, perhaps seeing the worry and irritation in Lan's face. They came to a balcony, and the young elf pointed out a familiar figure fast approaching an unsuspecting Fellowship.  
  
"By Eru above! What's the fastest way down there?" Lairindil seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and swiftly led her to a flight of stairs a little way down the hall from the balcony. Lan said her thanks and was about to take off running when Lairindil handed her something. "You might need this. Good luck, and good speed!"  
  
Then Lan was off, the object heavy and biting into her hand, flying across ground with more speed and grace than she'd ever before been able to muster. 'Manwë ar Varda ná o nye,' she thought, not having breath to speak. Manwë and Varda be with me. Her feet barely touched the grass, and many an elf turned to watch her swift passage. By the time they caught sight of her, streaming hair flowing gracefully in her wake, her gown making her appear but a white blur, she was long past.  
  
Lan finally espied her quarry ahead of her, walking quite unaware of the rigorous chase that had just occurred. Karine had a chase of her own, and devoted all her energy to its completion, but Lan would not allow her to succeed. 'I will never let her disrupt the canon.'  
  
Karine watched the figures before her, waiting for a certain one to appear. 'Where could he be? I'm sure he's here. He must be here, or else I've walked all this way for nothing. AHA!'  
  
She leapt forward-it was Aragorn, the beautiful Ranger of her dreams, Strider, Isildur's Heir-well, Karine began to leap forward. The iron grip on her upper arm and the flat of a blade cold against her neck stopped her sharply as she moved. Lan's voice was low, deceptively soft.  
  
"We do not come into contact with them. They do not see us. We do not behave like morons when confronted with any member of said group therein!" Her voice had grown sharp and cold as the dagger she held towards the end, and the steel had pressed deep enough to draw blood. Karine, too frightened by the sudden change in her companion (and dare she say friend) to move, swallowed and gulped back tears. She tried, anyway; that a plump droplet rolled down her cheek was but a fact, and a minor detail.  
  
Lan, seeing how shocked Karine was, relented slightly and sheathed Lairindil's dagger. She began guiding Karine back towards Cerin Amroth, away from the Fellowship. "Karine, listen to me. If we interfere with Tolkien, who knows what will happen! Even worse, if you reveal that you know the outcome, what can either of us do when the Dark Lord swoops down upon you to carry you off for questioning? Think about the implications of your actions-consider what you might bring down on us. And also on the Fellowship and the good people of Middle-Earth. You'll doom them to a life of slavery, never-ending horror, if you get involved. Imagine if the Fellowship begins to believe that the outcome is predetermined, or what if Boromir discovers that he is to die soon? Don't you know..." Lan continued to rant, fingering the dagger, until a cough interrupted her.  
  
"She told me to say I'm sorry for interrupting, so I'm sorry to interrupt, especially because it was so funny the way you looked when I coughed. I guess you were surprised-okay, fine, to get the point... The Lady Galadriel wants to meet you in private immediately. Well-no, not immediately. She wanted to see you immediately before I left to look for you, so... she wanted to see you fifteen minutes ago." Lairindil grinned, proud of her logic. Lan exploded.  
  
"WHAT? You could have said that as soon as you found us!" Lan clenched her fists, trying and barely succeeding to avoid strangling the grinning Lairindil. Only by great strain was she able to calm herself and keep her anger from her voice. "Please take us to her. The Lady must not be kept waiting."  
  
"Sure." Lairindil held out her hand. "Can I have my dagger back?"  
  
"Yes, of course." Lan slid it out of her belt and returned it. "Now, can we please hurry?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The trio ran at a breakneck pace, on which Lan insisted. She knew how wonderful an opportunity they had in being asked to meet with Galadriel, and had no intention of being any later than she absolutely had to be. Lairindil lead, and clearly enjoyed running through trees, along walks, and between other elves. When she stopped abruptly inside Cerin Amroth, it was all Lan could do not to run into her. Instead, she swerved, stopped, and patted down her hair, which was escaping the band she had wound around it the day before. When Lan finished primping, she looked at Karine to see if she was ready to go in. The pretty elf was still fixing her hair, smoothing her dress, and looking to see if her hemline was dirty. Lan poked her and nodded to Lairindil, who rapped on the wall beside the curtain over the doorway.  
  
From within, a voice as spun silver uttered words Lan could not make out, and Lairindil pushed the heavy tapestry open. Lan braced herself against the shock of meeting Galadriel of the Teleri, who had seen the light of the Two Trees and was granddaughter to Olwë himself. Karine had ceased her fidgeting and, lifting her head, stood as tall as she could. She thought of all she had read in the Silmarillion, remembering the sorrow and wisdom of Galadriel, even in her youth. Then Lairindil was past the doorway and bowing, all hint of the roguish child in her gone. "My Lady Altariel, as per your command are now present one Amelan Sena and Karine Erisil." She rose from her bow and retired respectfully to a corner.  
  
Karine's first real look at the famed Lady of Lórien was fully as awe- inspiring as one could hope. She barely resisted the strong urge to fall to her knees before the majestic woman, seemingly clothed in flowing, starry light. She was of such a height that she should seem to be towering conspicuously above Karine, yet instead Karine felt she was the one out of place in Galadriel's presence. 'Grave and beautiful-how aptly Tolkien described her!' she thought, sinking humbly into a deep curtsy and feeling ever so inadequate and alien.  
  
Lan had trouble keeping her jaw from dropping. Such beauty and power contained in one person almost made her want to lie at the woman's feet, not to mention all of the years Galadriel had seen. She knew she should show some sign of respect, and reached for her sword to give a warrior's salute. When she realized that she did not have it, she settled for a bow, never having fully understood how or why one would curtsy. When she looked up, the Lady was smiling, as though Lan's actions amused her.  
  
"You are wondering why I have called you here. It is not often two alien elf-maidens of unknown origins are asked to see the Lady of the Golden Wood." She paused, as if waiting to be assured that they were indeed as alien as had been reported to her.  
  
"Well, my lady," Lan began, "it seemed somewhat unusual, but I did not intend to question your wishes." As she spoke she thought, 'Oh, to have said something more intelligent. Perhaps I shall sink into the floor. Yes, that seems about right.'  
  
In her mind, she heard Galadriel's voice, nearly scaring her out of her wits. 'If you become part of the floor, it will likely be more difficult to say intelligent things.' Lan flushed at the realization that Galadriel knew her thoughts, but then noticed that the Lady had begun to speak again.  
  
"Many of my visitors have questions for me, but this time, it is I who wish to ask you of your origins. My mirror shows me nothing of these."  
  
Lan felt shocked and confused. The Lady Galadriel, posing questions to her? And in so straightforward a manner, too; whatever was the world coming to? She opened her mouth to begin speaking, but was interrupted.  
  
"How many people do I have to ask to leave my patients alone!? Amelan, by now you should know not to go running about, especially considering what happened to you last time. Leaving in the middle of my assessment of your condition, too! And Karine..."  
  
"Terfindariel... Please discontinue your yelling. These young ladies are in my care for the moment, and I do not believe that they shall come to any great harm." The instant Galadriel stepped in, the healer turned the brightest red Lan had ever seen on a person. "Truly your friends have named you 'Maicalambo'. Go and see to your other work, and I shall return your charges to you shortly."  
  
The thoroughly chastised healer dipped a rapid curtsy and hurried out of the room, and Lan looked about to realize that Lairindil was no longer present. Sure enough, moments later the peace was shattered by a yell.  
  
"LAIRINDIL!" The roguish elf popped her head in through the curtain, flashed a smile, and took off running, shouts following her. It was all Lan could do to keep herself from bursting into peals of laughter. Taking a moment to collect herself, she began to relate how she had arrived, and detailed all their adventures since. Karine remained silent, having been unconscious most of the journey.  
  
"...and since we've arrived, we've been ...preoccupied with... meeting the residents and... uh... keeping well. I'm afraid I ran out on Healer Temeril, which is why she was so upset with me. I was, uh, looking for someone." Lan was positive that her little omission was reading like a neon sign to the Lady, but what can an elf-maiden do? Besides, why talk about it in front of Karine? But there was one thing she did want to say. "Lady, I do have a question. I know that you have not been fully informed about our origins, homes, or means by which we arrived here, but... do you think you know how we could possibly get home?"  
  
The elven queen turned her wise gaze to a distant sight beyond the window, likely beyond the trees of her land, even out to other worlds. She drew in a great breath, seeming to condense all cares and worries into that one summation of weariness, and then expelled all at once, leaving her stronger and more potent than ever. The cascade of deep gold hair shone brighter than precious metal as she turned back to regard the two young maidens before her. "Amelan and Karine, the time has come for me to speak to you of the reason for which you have been called here..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authoresses' notes: (dmr) WHEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! We're DONE with the chapter! ^^ Finally. Oh, and for those ignorant ones of you NOT completely fluent in Sindarin, Maicalambo means Sharp-of-Tongue. Read it, review it, and do whatever you like to Karine. Can I shoot her yet?  
  
(elerian) Not yet! Why kill perfectly good characters? Granted, she has her (somewhat numerous) bad points but... interesting interactions count for something... right? Right? Anyway, dear readers, please review, and also please yell at Raist to get writing! Thanks! ^.^ 


	5. Of decisions and destinies

SUES AND SWORDS  
  
Disclaimer: (dmraist) It's not mine. Well, LotR, anyways, and I don't want Karine, and Lan's Caitir's brainchild, and... so none of it belongs to me. I can use Karine for target practice, though... ha! OK, so Karine's mine.

  
5. Of Decisions and Destinies

  
"Amelan, Karine. You whom I have summoned for a task almost as difficult as that of the Fellowship, if not nearly as dangerous. If, against all likelihood, they succeed in their quest, yours will be the unseen struggle that benefits all the peoples of Middle-Earth.  
  
"You came at my call, meaning that you were willing to accept my assignment, whether you realized it consciously or not. However, I will ask you now: are you willing to stay here and work towards the fulfillment of this mission, or would you return to your world and your home?" Galadriel's words rang in the room, as the wood of the floor, walls, and ceiling only partially absorbed the sound.  
  
Karine felt Galadriel's eyes on her, peering, searching, seeking truth. 'Will you remain and work hard for this world?' they asked, and Karine felt herself almost collapse under the weight of the decision. It wasn't fair; she was just a girl, she shouldn't have to make this choice-'But I ask you to,' whispered Galadriel's voice in her head. Karine thought over her life, her world, her memories. And she decided.  
  
Lan, meanwhile, was struggling with the thought of losing her friends and everything she'd ever known. ..Never to see her father again.. the same father who was nearly never home, leaving her at the house of a relative or friend, while he went off to make money so he could buy her an apology present.. Never to see her friends, whom she had known most of her life.. ..and grown farther from with each passing year.. Never to return to the things she loved to do in her free time, but to trade it for a lifetime of those things..  
  
Perhaps it would be hard, but Amelan knew that if she chose to refuse, she would regret it for the rest of her life. Returning from her musings, she noticed that Karine was looking at Galadriel in a steely, determined way, daring someone to stop her making this decision. Lan answered for both of them. "Lady, when you brought us here, you knew how we would answer. We will not back down from taking this task. We have little to lose, and but a life of joy to gain." Karine nodded her agreement.  
  
"As you have chosen, so shall you receive. Soon all the Eldar shall have passed from this world, and the knowledge of Elvenkind shall fade with our passing. We have always been the record-keepers and sources of wisdom throughout history, but soon we shall be no more. You, who have come from a different world, will not feel the call of the sea as we, who are drawn to it and beyond.  
  
"You shall remain in Middle-Earth to start an order of bards and historians, and you shall be called the Story Seekers. You will go to the loremasters of all the nations and gather from them everything, from their ancient histories to their old wives' tales. You shall record these things and collect manuscripts, though you must impress upon each land the importance of oral history. Your Order will contain any who can learn by heart the Lays and the stories of the nations, and I shall set my magic to protect you. I will decree that any who willfully harm those of the Story Seekers will suffer retribution, for the wrath of Galadriel shall rain upon their heads. For the people must know the things of history, be able to access truths of the past, so that never again will we have such a blindness as the ignorance that has produced the need for the Fellowship's treacherous quest. You shall become respected and revered as the Wise Ones, those who hold knowledge, the traveling loremasters-and you, the Order of the Story Seekers, will forever keep memory alive."  
  
Her words faded like ancient music into the air, leaving the pair resolute and heartened, but slightly saddened, as well. The sun had slipped down to the line of the horizon, setting the room on fire, and they stepped into the light and their new lives.  
  
~~~  
  
Authoresses' notes: (dmr) And now it's over. If we ever plan on revising, this could use a lot of help, but otherwise. not bad for an early experiment. Read, review, and tell us if you think our grammar needs help, at which point I will ask you to point out my oh-so-numerous errors and then, if you utterly fail to find any, will take you out back and pummel you to a pulp. I'm kidding. Maybe.  
  
(caitir) Our story has come to a close, and we must leave you. I hope that you enjoyed it, and I hope also that you will read our future brainchildren, crack babies though they are. 

ADDENDUM: I'd meant to add this on before, but forgot. Celerion should really be spelt "Telherion", derived from _tel_ "last" _heru_ "lord" _-ion_ ending "of", which would roughly translate to "Last of the Lords". I wasn't nearly as picky about the name detail as I ought to have been, but oh well! --dmR


End file.
